


Compass

by Baconfat



Series: the only light we see [4]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Blind Ignis Scientia, Fix-It, Gen, Gladio coping by being a jerk, Luna lives, Post-Chapter 9, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-02
Updated: 2018-12-02
Packaged: 2019-09-05 18:26:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16816051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Baconfat/pseuds/Baconfat
Summary: Noct crawled into bed and lay there for a long time, feeling the Ring sitting heavy in his pocket and trying not to think.Trying not to think of his dad, watching Clarus die and knowing he'd be next. Of something horrible happening to Ignis's eyes while Noct wasn't there to help him. Of Luna, carrying the Ring all this time, working so hard and traveling so far to reach the Chosen King, and finding Noct waiting for her instead, lost and scared and hoping she could tell him what to do.





	Compass

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry for this update being out of order! That's why I made this a series and not a chaptered fic, so I could fill in the gaps and reorder stuff as I write it.
> 
> Check the [series page](https://archiveofourown.org/series/1195687) for the correct reading order.

Noct crawled into bed and lay there for a long time, feeling the Ring sitting heavy in his pocket and trying not to think. 

Trying not to think of his dad, watching Clarus die and knowing he'd be next. Of something horrible happening to Ignis's eyes while Noct wasn't there to help him. Of Luna, carrying the Ring all this time, working so hard and traveling so far to reach the Chosen King, and finding Noct waiting for her instead, lost and scared and hoping she could tell him what to do. 

Of lying there, broken and useless, watching that Ardyn guy shove a knife into her. The look in her eyes all those years ago when his dad left her behind in Tenebrae, young and scared and braver than any of them. 

Where did she keep finding all that strength? And why the hell did the Crystal choose Noct, when he didn't have _any?_

There was a quick, playful knock at the door — Prompto — and Noct had half a second to wipe at his face before the guys all came in.

"Oh good, you're here," Prompto said, helping Ignis along. Gladio was behind them, carrying a brown bag full of food. "I went to knock on Lady Lunafreya's door but Umbra wouldn't let me, so I thought maybe you were, uh, busy. Guess she's sleeping."

Ignis lifted a hand, pulling away from Prompto, and made his way over to the chair at Noct's bedside without help. Maybe his eyes were already getting better, Noct thought, until he reached the chair and had to stop and feel for it, finding the armrests before settling himself in. 

Prompto just crawled right into the bed next to Noct. "You okay? Is she okay? Did you get to talk to her?"

"Yeah," Noct said. "She's..." He took a breath.

"Amazing, right?" Prompto asked. "Dude, you _have to keep me away from her_."

Noct blinked. "Wh-what?"

"I can't. Stop. Talking," Prompto insisted.

Ignis let out a snort, then tried to cover it with a cough. "I hadn't noticed."

Gladio dropped the bag on the bed and started pulling out sandwiches wrapped in wax paper, handing them out. "Eat up."

"Thanks," Noct told him, peeling the paper off. Tuna salad. He had no idea how long it'd been since he last ate, but it didn't matter. His stomach had clenched itself up into a painful little ball.

Prompto kept talking. "I was trying to cheer her up after Ravus yelled at her and took off and I showed her like eight hundred pictures of you —"

"You _what?_ "

"— so now she probably thinks I'm some kind of stalker, but I'm pretty sure she liked them anyway? But then I told her, like, my _entire life story?_ Including that time in eighth grade when I called the math teacher _Mom_."

Noct laughed, startled. "Did you tell her about —"

"Where's the Ring?" Gladio cut in.

Noct's stomach clenched itself up all over again. "I have it."

Gladio crossed his arms. "You _have_ it."

Noct kept his mouth shut.

"What are you waiting for," Gladio asked, "someone _else_ to put it on?"

"Gladio," Ignis snapped.

Noct clenched his fists so the guys wouldn't see his hands shaking. "I'll put it on when we need it."

"Right," Gladio said. "And when's that gonna be, next year sometime?"

Prompto looked down at his sandwich, fiddling with the paper. Ignis was still, his mouth tight.

Noct sucked in a breath. "Maybe I don't want to start _killing_ myself until I have to."

"Until you _have_ to?" Gladio snarled. "Why the _hell_ didn't you wear it on the altar? You could've sav—"

"He was half _dead_ , Gladio," Ignis argued, sharp and loud enough to cut him off. 

Gladio didn't answer that, his eyes locked on Noct's.

Ignis took a second, and when he spoke again his voice was steady. "Unconscious and critically injured. The Lady Lunafreya kept him alive long enough for Ravus and I to reach them both with curatives."

Noct swallowed. "Sh-she just gave it to me now."

Gladio looked away. Then grabbed some food and threw himself into the other chair to eat, ignoring them all. 

Prompto nibbled at his sandwich, shoulders hunched up. Noct wiped his palms off on his pants. He was sweating. 

The Ring was in his pocket, waiting for him to grow the fuck up.

Ignis shifted in his seat, carefully unwrapping his sandwich. "You were saying, Prompto?"

"Uh, yeah," Prompto said, his mouth full. "So I finally meet the Lady Lunafreya and go from _Hey, I'm glad you're alive_ to _One time Noct and I had a Twinkie-eating contest and he had to give me the Heimlich_ in like 3.5 seconds."

"Dude!" Noct protested, but he was laughing. 

"It made sense at the time!" Prompto said. "I was trying to tell her how you stayed cool in a crisis even with your mouth full of processed, partially hydrogenated creamy goodness!"

Ignis was trying to hide a smile. "Did this incident not warrant a mention in the notebook?"

Noct groaned, putting his head in his hands.

"How is your sandwich, Noct?" Ignis prodded.

Noct made himself take a bite. "'s okay," he mumbled.

"Aren't they supposed to have, like, super gourmet seafood here?" Prompto asked, mouth full. "This tastes like cafeteria crap compared to Iggy's cooking."

Ignis opened his mouth, closed it. Moved on. "Do try not to spill food on the First Secretary's sheets. We've caused enough international incidents as it is, without adding mayonnaise into the mix." He finally took a bite of his own sandwich, chewing slowly and thoughtfully. Swallowed and said, "The seasoning does leave something to be desired. A bit of dill would be a welcome addition. But we're fortunate Gladio found anything at all for us to eat. I'm sure most of the cafés are closed indefinitely."

Gladio grunted.

"Did you have any luck contacting Master Cid?"

"Yeah," Gladio said, grabbing another sandwich. "He'll head back tomorrow if the weather's not bad. I couldn't reach Cor, but Monica said she'll keep trying."

"Good. Noct, do you think the Lady Lunafreya will be ready to travel?"

How should he know? "I'll make sure she drinks a few more curatives," he tried. 

"We'll have to do our best to make her comfortable on the vessel."

"What about you?" Noct asked. "Think you'll be... good to go?"

"Of course," Ignis said. He sounded upset Noct had even asked. "I may be... impaired, at the moment, but I am hardly an invalid."

Noct grit his teeth. Was he _seriously_ going to be like this?

"Yeah, and we'll help any way we can," Prompto told him.

Ignis's mouth twitched down for just a second. "Thank you," he said shortly. "We should speak to the First Secretary about our departure," he went on, "but the less said about our destination, the better."

Noct took another bite of his sandwich, waiting for someone to volunteer. When they didn't, he forced himself to say, "I'll do it."

"Excellent," Ignis said, relieved. "You conducted yourself quite admirably in the negotiations earlier."

Yeah, right. He'd let her split them up, and now look what happened. They'd barely made it out of this alive. "I just want to get out of here."

"You and me both, buddy," Prompto said. "I mean, I'm glad we got to see Altissia before everything went to hell, but I'm starting to learn that nothing ruins a good vacation spot like a heaping helping of trauma." He ran a hand through his hair, messing it up. "The Empire sure has a knack for turning everything to shit."

"And where we go, they follow," Noct said.

Ignis cleared his throat. "Fortunately, Cape Caem is well-hidden and tactically insignificant."

Gladio snorted. "Only 'cause the Niffs are already crawling all over the country. Can't exactly warn anyone they're coming when they're already there."

"We'd better not stay long," Noct said, when all he _wanted_ to do was curl up in one of the little beds there and pull the covers over his head.

He'd just wanted to find Luna. Make sure she was safe. Now that she was here and Noct had the Ring, what the hell were they supposed to do next? 

"Indeed," Ignis agreed. "Just long enough to regroup and reevaluate."

"And then what?" Noct made himself ask.

Ignis faltered. "Recover as many royal arms as we can, and continue to disrupt the Empire's supply lines, in preparation for recapturing the Crystal."

Prompto spoke up. "Um, Lady Lunafreya talked about an _assault_ on the Empire. Does she have an army we don't know about? Or are we seriously going to just, like, walk into enemy territory and try to grab the Crystal while no-one's looking?"

Noct waited for Gladio to say something like, _Hell yeah, the best defense is a good offense._ But he just sat there, glaring at the floor. Finally Noct said, "Have to ask her, I guess."

"Right," Prompto said doubtfully.

Noct wet his lips and made himself try. "When I was a kid, I didn't know anything about the Crystal or the Prophecy, but Luna knew _everything_ about all of it. She'll know what to do."

"Yeah," Prompto said, a little firmer.

"And I'm sure the Marshal will have some suggestions," Ignis added. "It's been a struggle every step of the way, but the four — sorry, _five_ of us have accomplished a great deal."

"A-and we're all still here," Prompto added. "That's the important thing."

Gladio let out a short, sharp snort. Then got up and left, slamming the door behind him.

"Or... we _were_ ," Prompto said.

"What's his _problem?_ " Noct demanded.

Ignis didn't answer.

Eventually Prompto said, "Um. Do you think... maybe he's scared?"

 _"Gladio?"_ Noct asked.

Ignis nodded. "I'd say Prompto's hit the nail quite precisely on the head." 

Noct let out a breath, taking that in. Gladio. Scared. "...So? Who _isn't?_ "

Ignis let out a quiet little laugh.

"Definitely not me," Prompto said, digging into the empty bag. "Anyone else still hungry?"


End file.
